FARM AND GARDEN, Rhododendron.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 159, 3 July 1886, Page 1

FARM AND GARDEN, Rhododendron.

A Great number of the best varieties of this magnificent flowering plant have recentlybeen introduced, and too much cannot be eaid to induce a trial of a few of them in each garden. The best soil for rhododendrons is a inixtufe of peat and turfy loam, but they will thrive in almost any good garden soil. When preparing eround for rhododendrons have it thoroughly drained and trenched; if heavy, a little sand mixed with it will bo beneficial. They should be planted by themselves in a sheltered part of the garden. They require constant attention to watering during the dry season. Always Tgive a good soaking, Mulching with old rotted manure will assist to keep their roots moist, and aasist in produding more abundant and better trusses of flowers. After planting, the young plants should be sheltered the first season. As nearly all the fine varieties are grafted on seedling stock, it will be necessary to go over the young plants occasionall}' to see that therejare no shoots springing out below the graft. If such be the case carefully remove them, as many young plants are spoiled through not attending to this. Rhododendrons make good pot plants for the greenhouse. Tney should be potted in a mixture of peat, sand, and turfy loam, pots well drained. Root TPruning and Manuring Fruit Trees. It may 'appear at first sight a strange practice to root-prune with a view to check luxuriant growth, and then to manure the soil to encourage the tree to recover its strength by the application of fertilising materials. But this is the practice that many excellent cultivators have found expedient to adopt when root pruning has been carsied out. The explanation is that root pruning proberly performed only severs the largest roots, and it is generally acknowledged that all large and deep roots are only useful in promo'ing a strona luxuriant growth in the branches, which in the case of trees with a limited fruit-bearing surface is not desirable, and therefore their removal is a necessity. But anything that will promote the formation of fibrous roots within a reasonable distance of the surface is essential to produce fruitfulness. The kind of trees that require to be root pruned are those that are making strong, rapid, rank growth. Again, trees that are only makiug short, hardy wood, and developing plenty of flower buds do not require much interference with the root, but may still need a little stimulant so as to still further increase their fruittulness. Trees that are not making any growth at all will require to be furnished with a good deal of manure and a little pruning back of the main branches so as to promote growth. In dealing with the manuring of fruit trees, the cultivator must in a great measure be governed by circumstances as to the quantity and quality according to the state of the soil in which the trees are planted. For the purpose of manuring'trees in a soil that is not naturally rich it may be necessary to apply a thick coating of farm yard manure over th6 roots to encourage them to increase in number and extend in usefulness. Where the soil is naturally rich and pretty well charged with organic matter, a very slight dose of manure will be sufficent, for if too much is applied it would only encourage too strong a growth, which would be detrimental to carrying good crops of fruit Again, where the soil is good, deep, and rich, and manure is freely applied to it for the use of vegetable crops grown near the trees, no surface manuring will be required, as soil thus dealt with ia generally rich enough for orchard trees. Only if such are likely to eufi'er from drought during the summer they should be mulched over the root with litter, which does not possess much fertilisating material. But in the case of orchai'ds where *he p-round is simply set apart for the trees, and no manure is applied for the use of other crops, it will be often necessary to give the trees the benefit of a layer of manure on the roots. The best way to apply the dressing, if well rotted, is to take and put it a few inches under the ground all round the tree. If long and new it is better to spread it on the surface where the rain will wash the strength down to the roots during the spring. It cen lie there till the autumn, when it may be forked into the gronnd. The best time to apply dressings of manure is imraediately after the winter pruning has taken place. The action of the weather will by spring have brought into .such a state that the young rootlets puehing out to obtain food will find it at once, and sent it up the tree. Recollect that most of the evils — such as disease and insects -attacking fruit trees and destroying their usefulnees are due to the poverty of the eoil, the ground being in sufficient good heart to snpply enough | nourishment, so that they might naturally overcome some of those evils.

Influence of Fine Trees. There is a growing disposition among fruit growers to believe that if pine trees a»-e mixed through an orchard it will have a beneficial influence in driving away the moths and many of the destructive insects which prey upon the apples and apple trees. It is supposed to be the strong effluvia issu-_ ing from the turpentine of the pine. Others contend that the pine, in all its varieties, throws off in the groove constantly in cold weather a large amount of warmth or caloric, which has a favourable influence on surrounding trees during long and severe wiuters. In fact, it is contended by some scientific authorities that live trees have this influence besides the protection which they impart as wind-breaks. It is claimed by medical writers that the influence of the turpentine in pine groves is highly beneficial to the health of human race as well as to the animals which dwell in the well ventilated pine groves. In the State the apple tree needs no protection, as in the Western States, against the cold, but there is no doubt that the interspersing of pine trees in our orchards would be a penefit to the trees if it did not preveut the ravages of injurious insects. In the cold States fiuit trees must have protection, even the most hardy 'varieties ; and by surrounding orchards with pine trees, and also planting more or lesB of them in the mids,t of the orchard, they -will surely be a~great'protection to the fruit tree3, — ** American Press."